If I’m being honest, I’ll have to admit I had no idea what I was getting into in this Media and the Environment class.

I had heard it being promoted before, but assumed the topics covered would be about sustainable practices, wind energy, solar panels, climate change, or even biodiversity. But, food? I had never even thought of our environment through the lens of food before, and had no idea the amount of issues that impact our daily lives through food.

If I’m still being honest, it took me quite a while to start caring. Toward the beginning of the semester, I thought that all this talk of vegetarianism, organically grown foods, and cage-free chicken ranges was a lot of something I didn’t really care about or take much interest in. But when I realized that when I left the class to go eat dinner, my fridge was full (or lacking) of what we had talked about in class, and I began to realize it actually affected me.

Without this class, I never would understand what it means for food to be local. Organic. Hormone-free. But now, I can be a responsible shopper, and have even started participating in the growth of a local movement! Not only am I doing so through the purchases I make each time I visit the grocery store, but I am able to participate in the beginning of what I know will be something great: the Douglas County Food Policy Council, or DCFPC. By participating in a Service Learning project to help start a local food system for Lawrence, KS and the surrounding areas in Douglas County, I am truly giving back to society and helping the environmental movement where I live.

So what did I gain from a semester of JOUR 500: Media and the Environment at the University of Kansas? A new way to see, understand, and help my community–and the world.